Paperwhite Second Gen: First Impressions

[sparklemotion]

Originally Posted by aceflor

I have alienated my dear husband to fly back to me with the two PW2s. Since he is only carrying a cabin case, he will need to make room in it so needless to say, he is not delighted (and that is a huge understatement). Now I am really worried about getting one (I don't even want to think of 2) bad PW2, because that would just really, really ruin the mood...

Fingers crossed for you! I think really some of us have just had very bad luck. Pinholes seem to be the biggest problem this time and it seems those that do have them sometimes they don't even find it much of an issue. I do think the odds seem more in your favor of getting a good one this time so I'm going with that.

[Yolina]

Originally Posted by sparklemotion

I picked up another Paperwhite at Best Buy last night. I truly do not want to be Debbie Downer on here, but I'm just telling it as I see it. Three pinholes and color hues. Worst one I have seen of the 3 I've had.

FWIW I sent Amazon some feedback about the PW2 yesterday, I did mention amongst other things that I got lucky and received a good unit first time but that it shouldn't be a lottery and that although overall the PW2 is far better than the PW1, QC is leaving is lot to be desired (again).

Originally Posted by sparklemotion

Thanks Jack. My experience is actually the same as yours with back-lit tablets. I find them very easy to read on and I don't get any eyestrain. However, the catch for me is that you can't read on them in bright light and I do a lot of reading outside on the deck and I don't like to switch between readers, I guess. I prefer having one dedicated reader to read everything on, in any light situation, no syncing between devices and so forth. That's why I'm so hung up on the darn PW! lol. I just wish I could have got a good one, but maybe next time.

I'm hoping to use the PW2 like that, more or less. I prefer to read on my iPhone when I go to a doctor's office or some place where I don't want to take a chance on leaving my PW2 lying around, or for when I just don't want to lug the PW2 around. But I do want the ability to read outside, especially now that daytime temps are getting more tolerable in north Texas.

[sparklemotion]

Originally Posted by Yolina

FWIW I sent Amazon some feedback about the PW2 yesterday, I did mention amongst other things that I got lucky and received a good unit first time but that it shouldn't be a lottery and that although overall the PW2 is far better than the PW1, QC is leaving is lot to be desired (again).

I know. I'm so disappointed, Yolina. That's good of you to leave Amazon some honest input. I hope it helps. I'll be doing the same once I muster up the energy to write the review. Boo.

[Yolina]

Originally Posted by sparklemotion

I know. I'm so disappointed, Yolina. That's good of you to leave Amazon some honest input. I hope it helps. I'll be doing the same once I muster up the energy to write the review. Boo.

I didn't leave a review, I just sent an email to the kindle feedback address with what I like and what I don't like, and got the usual standard acknowledgement reply. The stuff probably gets skim-read and filed in the bin

Edit: and I don't want to rub it in, but I am really happy with the PW2 I got. Makes such a difference from my PW1 (and zero insertion fee on ebay UK this weekend, so that's where my PW1 is headed)

[sparklemotion]

Originally Posted by jswinden

I'm hoping to use the PW2 like that, more or less. I prefer to read on my iPhone when I go to a doctor's office or some place where I don't want to take a chance on leaving my PW2 lying around, or for when I just don't want to lug the PW2 around. But I do want the ability to read outside, especially now that daytime temps are getting more tolerable in north Texas.

I have a friend who does all his reading on his phone and he seems perfectly happy with it. There's definitely a convenience factor there. I hope you enjoy having one dedicated reader though, I personally love it.

[sparklemotion]

Originally Posted by Yolina

I didn't leave a review, I just sent an email to the kindle feedback address with what I like and what I don't like, and got the usual standard acknowledgement reply. The stuff probably gets skim-read and filed in the bin

Edit: and I don't want to rub it in, but I am really happy with the PW2 I got. Makes such a difference from my PW1 (and zero insertion fee on ebay UK this weekend, so that's where my PW1 is headed)

Hopefully they do read it and take it into account! I saw the pic of your PW2 and it looked awesome. Now if only they could make them all like that!

[Yolina]

Originally Posted by jswinden

But I do want the ability to read outside, especially now that daytime temps are getting more tolerable in north Texas.

Feel free to send any unwanted warm temperatures to the UK, barely getting 12C daytime in London...brrrrr...

Originally Posted by Yolina

Feel free to send any unwanted warm temperatures to the UK, barely getting 12C daytime in London...brrrrr...

Gladly. In late July and August on most days the temperature reaches over 38°C (100°F). I often wonder why my ancestors (from Swindon in the UK by the way) stopped and ultimately settled down in Texas. Surely they could have kept moving a few hundred miles farther west to the Rocky Mountains!

[Ocicat]

Originally Posted by ixtab

Well actually, there are legit blacklisted Kindles. I remember the case of someone on this forum who had a Kindle Touch (I believe) which was stuck on the "Your Kindle needs Repair" screen. Amazon decided to send him a new unit, but did not want the old one back because the shipping cost would be too high (that user was somewhere in Asia IIRC). They simply blacklisted the old device and told him to do whatever he wants with it.

And by now, a Kindle Touch can easily be debricked to be fully functional again. There you have it: a legit, legal, working, but blacklisted, Kindle.

Yep, but this thread has taken so many different directions that it doesn't matter anymore

The eBay seller might be legit too. Big cities police departments have auctions, on site and online. One can buy single or bulk lots of small electronics, cell phones, readers, tablets. These were stolen or lost and never reclaimed by original owners.

Personally, I would buy a used Kindle only from somebody I know or an MR poster.

[ProfCrash]

The K2 screen fade problem was much worse then the PW issues. A lot more complaints at Kindle Boards then the PW.

[bwaldron]

Originally Posted by jswinden

It is certainly possible. Perhaps the PW2 phones home more often since it has so many internet-connected features. None of my other Kindles ever drained the battery that fast, and I always left WiFi on.

As I mentioned earlier in the thread, I was disappointed in the battery life of my PW2 compared to my other Kindles (and I always leave WiFi on so that my reading position can be synced). Reading for 8-10 hours straight (which I often do on weekends) drained the PW2 battery much more than I expected.

I do think that after the first few days of use (and subsequent recharge), my battery life has improved a bit. Perhaps there is more downloading going on during the initial setup period (downloading Special Offers and such)?

[sirmaru]

Originally Posted by sparklemotion

Same here. All my previous Kindles have been absolutely perfect. Like you said, the new lighting technology is introducing potential problems that weren't there before.

My KK 2009 used to freeze every time I took it to Church. It was so embarrassing.

In 4 months Amazon replaced it after I pointed out a thread in this Forum where dozens were having the same problem. The replacement worked perfectly and I'm giving it away as a Christmas gift this year.

I believe the problem was the Amazon cover using metal hooks to attach to the unit. They were short circuiting my unit every time I carried it in motion. The unit may have had defective attachment ports.

[fearindex]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

The K2 screen fade problem was much worse then the PW issues. A lot more complaints at Kindle Boards then the PW.

But the sun fade was rather easy: you either had it or not. Replace it until you don't. With PW1/PW2 the issues are much more diverse: LED variances, layer alignment and purity etc. causing all sorts of diverse issues that affect those that are sensitive to them.

Previous screen issues with Kindles were much simpler, than those with PW1/PW2, because the latter simply has so many variables to it. Besides, since Kindle 2 the e-ink itself has become quite a mature technology, but frontlight is still in its infancy.

[baggyrinkle]

Somethings wrong here.

I keep staring at my new Kindle Paper White 2 and can't see anything wrong with it. Is it me, or am I missing something you critics are seeing that I cant seem to observe? I've diligently searched for pin holes with a magnifying glass. Loaded the test screens, solid and black and white, still I can't find any pin holes. Where are they? Sometimes I imagine that I am seeing some vague discolorations at the corners but they come and go. I can't decide if the background is sepia or white, depending on the level of the led settings. Surely, there are answers to my questions? How many PW's will I have to return to get that absolutely perfect one? Oh, wait a minute, I think I just observed some slight head lighting effects at the bottom of the screen. Damn, I missed that all along. Oh, and don't even ask me about fuzzy text. I'm not sure if its fuzzy or not. Sometimes it is fuzzy and sometimes its not. All the time I'm reading a book I am plagued with the thought that my Kindle may or may not be perfect!

Oh well,